181

But if you do not wish to be like them at all, and do not want to be carried away by their counsels nor to have fellowship with their evil deeds, you will have dissension, fighting, and irreconcilable war. By them what will become of you, what will happen to you, and what will you gain? Listen, and I will tell you briefly: before all else, you will not be able to be my servant at all, for I do not want my servant to fight at all. They will acquire an unbearable hatred for you and will rush to murder you openly and secretly, and you will be held accountable for their judgment. For your death will not benefit the others at all, just as my death was life for the world, but you will become a cause of judgment for them, and you will depart from this life without boldness. It is better, therefore, to be shepherded and not to shepherd such people at all, but rather to take care of your own affairs and to pray for them and for all people (322) that all may turn back and come to full knowledge, and to teach and catechize those of them who are willing. But do not force them to do what you teach, but speak my words and exhort them to keep them as procurers of eternal life. But the words themselves will stand when I come to judge, and they will judge each one of all these according to his worth, and you will remain without responsibility, in every way un-condemned, because you did not hide the silver of my sayings, but as much as you yourself received, you have distributed to all. This is acceptable to me, this became the work of my apostles and disciples according to my commandments, to preach me as God to the whole world and to teach my will and my commands and to leave them in writing for men. So you too strive to do and to teach, but to those who do not wish to hear my words at all, say, as I also said to those who then said: Your word is hard, and who can listen to it? And I said: If you do not wish it so, go, as you wish, each one of you, and do it; leaving it entirely to their own authority and choice to choose death or life. For no one has ever become good without choosing to be, nor will the unbeliever who is unwilling become a believer, nor will the lover of the world ever be a lover of God, the awkward man will not unwillingly change his mind and become good in all things; for no one has become evil by nature, but by intention; so also again from bad and wicked by intention (323) and mind, one becomes fine and good, if he wishes,

181

Εἰ δέ μή βουληθῇς αὐτοῖς ὅλως ὁμοιωθῆναι, συναπαχθῆναί τε αὐτῶν ταῖς βουλαῖς μή θελήσῃς μηδέ ταῖς πράξεσιν αὐτῶν ταῖς κακαῖς κοινωνῆσαι, στάσιν, μάχην καί πόλεμον ἀκατάλλακτον ἕξεις. Ὑφ᾿ ὧν τί σοι γενήσεται, τί δέ συμβήσεταί σοι, τί κερδανεῖς τε; Ἄκουσον, καί λέξω σοι συντόμως˙ πρό πάντων εἶναι δοῦλός μου ὅλως οὐκ ἐξισχύσεις, ἐμόν γάρ δοῦλον μάχεσθαι οὐ βούλομαι παράπαν. Μῖσός τε κτήσονται πρός σέ ἄσχετον καί πρός φόνον ὁρμήσουσι τόν κατά σοῦ φανερῶς καί λαθραίως, καί τοῦ ἐκείνων κρίματος σύ δώσεις τάς εὐθύνας. Οὐδέν γάρ ὁ σός θάνατος ὠφελήσει τούς ἄλλους, καθώς ὑπῆρξεν ὁ ἐμός θάνατος ζωή κόσμου, ἀλλά κἀκείνοις αἴτιος τοῦ κρίματος γενήσῃ καί σύ ἀπαρρησίασατος ἐξέλθεις ἐκ τοῦ βίου. Κρεῖσσον τοίνυν ποιμαίνεσθαι καί μή ποιμαίνειν ὅλως τοιούτους, ἀλλά μάλιστα τῶν ἰδίων φροντίζειν καί εὔχεσθαι ὑπέρ αὐτῶν καί ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων (322) τοῦ ἐπιστρέψαι καί ἐλθεῖν εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν πάντας, διδάσκειν τε καί κατηχεῖν τούτων τούς βουλομένους. Μή ἀναγκάζῃς δέ αὐτούς ποιεῖν ἅπερ διδάσκεις, ἀλλά τούς λόγους τούς ἐμούς λέγε καί παρακάλει φυλαττειν τούτους ὡς ζωῆς αἰωνίου προξένους. Αὐτοί δ᾿ οἵ λόγοι στήσονται, ὅταν ἔλθω τοῦ κρῖναι, καί τούτων πάντων ἕκαστον κρινοῦσι κατ᾿ ἀξίαν, καί σύ μενεῖς ἀνεύθυνος, ἀκατάκριτος πάντῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔκρυψας ἐμῶν ἀργύριον λογίων, ἀλλ᾿ ὅσον εἴληφας αὐτός, κατεβάλου τοῖς πᾶσι. Τοῦτο ἐμοί ἀποδεκτόν, τοῦτο τῶν ἀποστόλων καί μαθητῶν μου γέγονε κατά τάς ἐντολάς μου ἔργον, κηρύξαι με Θεόν εἰς τόν σύμπαντα κόσμον καί τά ἐμά θελήματα καί τά προστάγματά μου διδάξαι καί καταλιπεῖν ἐγγράφως τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Οὕτως καί σύ ἀγώνισαι ποιῆσαι καί διδάξαι, τούς δέ μή θέλοντας ἐμῶν λόγων ὅλως ἀκούειν λέγε, ὡς εἶπον καί ἐγώ πρός τούς τότε εἰπόντας ὅτι˙ Σκληρός ὁ λόγος σου καί τίς αὐτοῦ ἀκούειν δυνήσεται; Καί ἔφην γε˙ Εἰ μή θέλετε οὕτως, ὑπάγετε, ὡς βούλεσθε, ἕκαστος καί ποιεῖτε˙ τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τῇ αὐτῶν τό πᾶν καί προαιρέσει καταλιπών τόν θάνατον ἤ τήν ζωήν ἑλέσθαι. Οὐδείς γάρ γέγονέ ποτε καλός ἀπροαιρέτως, οὐδέ πιστός ὁ ἄπιστος καί μή θέλων ὑπάρξει, οὐδέ φιλόθεός ποτε ὁ φιλόκοσμος ἔσται, οὐκ ἀβουλήτως ὁ σκαιός μεταστρέψει τήν γνώμην τήν ἑαυτοῦ καί ἀγαθός γενήσεται εἰς ἅπαν˙ οὐδείς γάρ γέγονε κακός φύσει, ἀλλά προθέσει˙ οὕτω καί πάλιν ἐκ κακοῦ καί πονηροῦ προθέσει (323) καί γνώμῃ καλός καί ἀγαθός, εἰ θέλει,